TO THE EDITOR:
The undersigned members of the UNC history department unambiguously express our support for any students who have received anything less than sympathetic and professional consideration from University administrators.
We urge the administration to address promptly and publicly any shortcomings in University procedures regarding violence against women.
As members of the UNC history department, we are committed to the well-being of our students.
These students are the reason this institution exists, and if we fail to support them, we have failed our mission as a University.
We were very troubled to read the reports from UNC students and a former employee describing their treatment in advocating for themselves or others, and we feel it is imperative that we stand beside them in requesting a full accounting of UNC’s implementation of policies protecting students from sexual harassment.
We are deeply troubled to learn that our students feel doubly violated when their institution fails to provide the protection and support they expect to receive when they report sexual abuse.
As members of the UNC community, we ask for an immediate and very active response by the University.
This is an opportunity not only to investigate our current responses to sexual violence on this campus, but also to reimagine what would be necessary to make all of our students secure in the knowledge that they are safe here.
